The idea is simple: for 52 weeks each week, make one small positive change in your lifestyle, and by the end of the year you will be less stressed, become more efficient, will remember more, protect yourself from disease and the aging process, and feel your life. more fulfilling and varied. The program outlined in this book gives you an entire year to gradually achieve changes that will eventually fit into your lifestyle and become familiar to you. Consequently, the chances are increased that positive changes in your life will be long-term and permanent.
In 20 years, you will be more upset about what you
failed to do than about what you did .
Jackson Brown *
How to overcome indecision
We are forced to make decisions every day. But even simple solutions are often not as easy as we would like. Our indecision stems from fears born of feelings that we might make the “wrong” decision. We worry because we need certainty, better results and proof of our case. But often there are simply no “correct” solutions. There are only different options. A good decision can be even if it at least moves us forward in the right direction.
Our torment over the “right” decisions takes a lot of our time and nerves and creates stress, reducing the feeling of satisfaction with life.
* Jackson Brown (born 1948) – American guitarist, keyboardist, composer, lyricist, producer. He also wrote several books for inspiration. – Approx. transl.
If we consider our decisions only according to the criteria of “correctness” or “incorrectness”, then we exclude surprises from our lives. The tactic of not making a specific decision under the pretext of maintaining the multiplicity of its options sometimes seems optimal, but it delays progress. We often think that people are bitter about a wrong decision. In fact, they experience more bitterness from lack of action. Even when you make the wrong decision, but conscious, the results of the action can be better than if you do not make any decision.
If you find that making any decision, serious or not, paralyzes your will, try the following.
Prioritize according to your values. When faced with a decision that can affect your entire life, carefully consider your values in life and what is important to you. Setting priorities in accordance with your principles, and not others’ principles, will make it easier for you to make decisions that are in your true interests.
Trust your intuition. Indecision can come from self-doubt and thinking that you are unable to make the right decisions. To correctly assess events and your actions, it is important to trust your intuition. Trust that you have the potential to organize the life you want. And also that you are able to make the best choice for you.
Give up perfectionism . Perfectionist expectations can increase indecision in decision making. Remind yourself often that nothing in the world is perfect, and that the concepts of right and wrong, good and bad are relative. Remember that there is a lot of great things in our life – albeit imperfect. A variety of solutions work. But the failure to make a decision and inaction will never give a result. Whenever you make any decision, you still win as you move forward and learn something new about yourself. And if the results don’t suit you, you can change course.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when making decisions. In general, decisions should be driven by your goals and needs, but sometimes it’s helpful to seek help from others who know you well. For example, if you are choosing a new smartphone, but are not very strong in modern information technologies, you can seek advice from a more advanced friend or relative who, in simple words, will suggest the most suitable option for you.
In an experiment conducted in 2000 by Columbia University School of Economics professor Sheena Iyengar and Stanford University psychology professor Mark Lepper, it was found that while participants prefer to have many choices, they are 10 times more confident in making decisions when choices are limited. Moreover, those participants who had a limited number of options indicated that they were more satisfied with their final decision.
Try to reduce the number of options. Too many options lead to indecision. In such a situation, try to purposefully narrow the scope of the choice. For example, if you can’t decide what to order for lunch, try to limit yourself to one menu item (say, just sandwiches, salads, or pizza). Or two options for a set menu.
Set a time limit for making decisions. Don’t allow yourself to delay making a decision for hours, days, weeks, or months. Set a time limit within which you must make a choice. If you are picking a new mattress at a furniture store, tell yourself you have to do it in one evening. And if you’re wondering what to wear for an evening trip to town, give yourself ten minutes to decide.
Determine correctly the parameters by which you make a decision. Before making a decision, set parameters and criteria for it. For example, if you are looking for a new gym for training, determine what is more important to you: the atmosphere and quality of the equipment or the content of the training and the price. Match options to your priorities to avoid making a sub-optimal decision.
Become more predictable in your decision making. Eliminate the reasons for indecision, act more predictably. Stay committed to products or brands if you like them. If the choice of coffee at the nearest café often baffles you, pick one and order it every day.
Train yourself to prepare crisis plans in case of failure. If you are afraid of the wrong decision, imagine the worst that could happen if you made it. Then outline a plan for yourself in this case. People tend to play unrealistic negative scenarios in their heads rather than positive ones. Having a concrete plan of action in case of failure can help you avoid the stress of unexpected turn of events and make decisions easier. Deal with disappointment. If you feel like your decision was not the best and the results were disappointing, don’t let that feeling take over. Try to maintain a positive attitude and look for opportunities to take advantage of bad experiences so that you are better prepared for future decisions.
